Ferrari’s difficult run after the summer break has now been accompanied by growing reports of internal tensions at Maranello, with the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur among the subjects attracting attention. Instead of delivering the recovery Ferrari supporters had hoped for, the return to action has produced four consecutive Grands Prix without a podium, adding pressure both on and off the track.
Imperfect execution, driver mistakes, internal battles, accidents and reliability problems have all featured between Budapest and Madrid. Ferrari’s championship hopes have consequently been reduced to a very slim possibility, with Lewis Hamilton 101 points behind Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc 125 points adrift. In the Constructors’ Championship, the Scuderia trails dominant Mercedes by 145 points, pushing hopes of a genuine title comeback further into the future.
The remaining championship permutations can be explored through the F1 Championship Points Calculator, but the recent run has inevitably shifted attention towards the wider situation inside the team.
Ferrari internal tensions become a growing talking point
In circumstances like these, it is perhaps inevitable that rumours begin to multiply around an environment as closely scrutinised as Maranello. Several Italian media reports and discussions have recently painted a picture of internal relationships that may be less harmonious than Ferrari would ideally want during such a difficult period.
Writing in Corriere della Sera, Daniele Sparisci reported: “They also say that Lewis Hamilton asked for some key figures in trackside operations to be changed and that his relationship with Fred Vasseur is no longer what it used to be.”
The reported request has already placed the organisation surrounding the seven-time world champion under scrutiny. No specific personnel changes have been confirmed, but the suggestion that Lewis Hamilton has sought adjustments to Ferrari’s trackside structure adds another dimension to the team’s current situation. More detail on that report can be found in the coverage of Lewis Hamilton’s reported request for changes to key Ferrari trackside figures.
Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur offered contrasting explanations in Madrid
The discussion had already intensified around the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Madrid. On Sunday morning, the online edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport ran the headline “Hamilton-Vasseur, Ferrari men at odds in Madrid” following qualifying, highlighting the different explanations the two had offered to the media.
Lewis Hamilton had placed greater emphasis on the competitiveness of Ferrari’s rivals, while Fred Vasseur focused more heavily on mistakes made by his driver. Those differing interpretations were presented as another sign of the questions surrounding the relationship between the Briton and the Ferrari team principal.
Corriere della Sera had also addressed the subject after Monza, writing that Lewis Hamilton was “pushing to change the balance within the team”. The newspaper described the situation as “a dangerous game for the team’s internal balance, unless Lewis Hamilton is also aiming to put his own stamp on the choice of a new team principal”.
The speculation has developed against the backdrop of Ferrari’s wider post-summer decline, with the team’s results since the Formula 1 summer break doing little to quieten discussion about its sporting and organisational direction.
Giorgio Terruzzi points to communication problems inside Ferrari
Further claims from within the Ferrari environment were discussed on the Terruzzi Racconta podcast. Giorgio Terruzzi offered a particularly strong assessment of communication between the team principal and Ferrari’s drivers.
“Communications are always out of sync between Fred Vasseur and the drivers. Especially Lewis Hamilton. But also Charles Leclerc. The Fred Vasseur issue is an issue, it is an evergreen. Every year it comes up because the management is what it is. The problem exists, just as the relationship with Benedetto Vigna is now non-existent. There is also irritation at Maranello because he is rarely seen. They call him Napoleon because he seems to have the attitude of an absolute boss, somewhat off-putting, somewhat arrogant,” Giorgio Terruzzi said.
Those comments represent Giorgio Terruzzi’s assessment of the internal situation rather than an official Ferrari position, but they add to the growing volume of speculation surrounding the team’s leadership structure during a disappointing phase of the season.
Pino Allievi discusses Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc dynamics
Pino Allievi added another perspective, focusing on the relationships between Fred Vasseur and Ferrari’s two drivers.
“Fred Vasseur has always been very close to Charles Leclerc. And I am told that Lewis Hamilton is a separate republic within Ferrari, because he takes all the credit when the car is there,” Pino Allievi said.
Lewis Hamilton’s arrival naturally brought another major personality and considerable experience into the Maranello structure, while Fred Vasseur’s longstanding relationship with Charles Leclerc has frequently been discussed around the team. The latest comments now place those dynamics within the broader debate about Ferrari’s internal balance.
Christian Horner and Andrea Stella mentioned in hypothetical post-Vasseur scenarios
The Terruzzi Racconta discussion also moved on to hypothetical alternatives should Ferrari eventually consider life after Fred Vasseur. No change has been confirmed, and the conversation centred on possible scenarios rather than an established succession plan.
Giorgio Terruzzi said: “There is a discussion underway, but without a Plan B. Antonello Coletta does not want it and does not have the experience. There is John Elkann’s love for Christian Horner. But in my opinion Christian Horner will not make that marriage.”
Pino Allievi then added: “Christian Horner, no. He wants to be a manager in the style of Toto Wolff. They would like Andrea Stella, but it seems to me that he told them no, no later than a couple of months ago.”
For now, these remain reports, opinions and hypothetical scenarios rather than confirmed Ferrari decisions. What is certain is that four consecutive races without a podium and rapidly fading championship ambitions have created fertile ground for scrutiny around virtually every part of the organisation. September, as ever in Formula 1, is a month when the whispers tend to grow louder.
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